Wednesday, August 21, 2013

Caramel Pecan Peach Crumble Bars

Peaches are all the rage right now. I was lucky to receive a whole box of fresh, organic peaches for free last week from a co-worker. Believe it or not peaches can grow well in Iowa. I never really believed it until my parents planted a peach tree a few years ago. I thought they were a bit out of their mind, thinking peaches only grew well in the south, but they have proved me wrong.

Now peaches can be finicky.....especially in tricky Iowa weather where spring ventures back and forth between bone-chilling cold and unseasonably warm. This year our weather was fairly normal, which is why I think they have done so well.

I'm not joking when I tell you that my dad has picked over 1,800 peaches off their ONE tree. It doesn't really seem possible......but if you know my dad, you know he was probably out there with his # 4 pencil behind his ear {yes, they do make # 4 pencils}, his notepad of paper, buckets and ladders.

It's crazy. Because some years when the weather is wacko they may only get one.

Eating these bad boys was like eating candy. Our kids gobbled them up, the Little Man wanting more and more peaches for every meal. But for fear that we'd all end up in the bathroom on fruit overload I had to find other ways to preserve these guys.

I froze two trays worth - to be used up in smoothies and desserts at a later date and I made two pans of these bars. I took one pan to a play date and froze the other pan. All us moms agreed that they were a keeper, not too sweet, yet crunchy with the brown sugar crust and pecan topping.

You have to make these!

And if peaches aren't your thang.....or you just happen to have a surplus of other berries, feel free to swamp them out. Any fruit would taste good!

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease an 8x8 baking pan and set aside. For the crust and topping combine 3/4 c. brown sugar, butter and pinch of salt until creamy. Add flour and mix until combined. Reserve 1 cup of this mixture. Press the remaining into the bottom of the pan. Bake until lightly browned around 13-15 minutes. Allow crust to cool.

For the filling combine 2 T. flour, 1 T. brown sugar and cinnamon. Add peaches and toss to coat. Pour slices over the cooled crust, layer on pecans and crumble the reserved topping over the peaches. Put egg white into a dish and stir with a fork until frothy. Brush egg white over the crumbed topping. Bake until lightly browned, around 45 minutes. Cool completely and refrigerate to chill. Keep chilled until ready to serve.

Speaking of produce coming out our ears....our tomatoes are once again out of control this summer. The vines and plants are so thick and heavy with fruit, its hard for me to even find all of them to pick.

And speaking of kids....I had one friend give birth yesterday {she got to the hospital with only minutes to spare!}, another family member gave birth this afternoon and another friend is in labor as we speak! It's crazy. Must have been a busy November/December:)